The court upheld the rights to public use in 2008 and neighboring property owners appealed the latest ruling.

Here are some excerpts from the story:

The struggle between private property owners and the public comes from the expectation that road ends will never be developed, said William Carey, a Michigan attorney who isn’t involved in this case but represents other waterfront property owners seeking ownership of public access sites.

“Landowners will like to see their right of privacy protected. Now, in more recent times, there’s greater demand for public access. That’s where the conflict arises,” said Carey, who recently wrote about the issue for the Michigan Bar Journal.

The cause of road-end conflicts is often a two-way street, said Chris Shafer, a professor at Cooley Law School in Michigan.

“Members of the public may abuse the right of public access and can generally create a nuisance,” he said. [Waterfront] owners are commonly making issues and trying to shut out the public.”